A delegation from the Congress of South Africa Trade Unions were on their way from Musina to Polokwane in a minibus taxi on Wednesday morning, after being hustled out of Zimbabwe ”through the back door”.
Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven said a vehicle had been arranged to take the 13 delegates to Johannesburg from Polokwane.
Craven said the mission was expected back at Cosatu headquarters on Wednesday afternoon and hoped to have them address a media conference.
Both Cosatu and an international labour federation condemned the deportation of the 13-member delegation — which was evicted from the country despite a court order forbidding it, said Craven.
He said the Zimbabwean Intelligence Minister’s claims that the federation was working with British Prime Minister Tony Blair were ”utterly ludicrous”.
”We reject this with contempt,” he said.
Zimbabwean authorities first tried to get the 13 members of the delegation on an aeroplane flight back to South Africa on Tuesday night, but there were none available.
They then ferried the union representatives to the Beit Bridge border post by bus, without informing them of their destination, and left them there.
A minibus taxi from Musina fetched the group at the border. While the South African Foreign Affairs Department has so far defended Zimbabwe’s right to ”determine and apply its own immigration laws as it may deem appropriate”, Craven said Cosatu planned to put pressure on government to act on the matter.
”We feel the government must agree that there is a problem of human rights in a country were a trade union federation cannot send a peaceful, lawful delegation without being deported.”
The delegation was on a fact-finding mission, intending to meet Zimbabwe’s labour movement and civil society groups. It also requested a meeting with the government.
However, last week the Zimbabwe Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare said the mission was ”not acceptable” because it planned to hold meetings with groups critical of the Zimbabwean government.
Cosatu decided to go ahead with the mission anyway, and it flew into Zimbabwe on Monday evening.
Delegation leader Violet Shibone said she felt the group had accomplished something in their brief visit.
”We spoke to the ZCTU (Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions) and their affiliates. We did not get to speak to any civil groups but it shows that the people shared something with us.”
Delegation member Simon Boshielo told how the authorities ”decided to take us out of the airport through the back door”.
”Whoever was getting us out of the country, used the army, the intelligence services, and the police,” Boshielo said. – Sapa